Improvement in ordnance



PATE-NT Fries@ CHARLES W. STAFFRD, OF NEV YORK, N. Y;

yliviPRilVt'EWENT INORDNINICE.

`Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 411,119, datedSeptember 6, 1864i.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that l, UHAnLns W. STAFFORD, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented a new-and useful improvement in Ordnance; andl do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description 4ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making partof this speciication, in which- .Figurel is a plan or top View of acannon, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 represents a vertical axialsection of the main 'portion of the gun and aside elevation of thebreechpiece 4and plug, hereinafter described. Fig. 3 represents avertical axial section of the entire gun.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalviews. i

lvly invention relates to an improved maxi. .ner or" constructing acannon or other fire-arm with one cr more accelerating charge-chambers,the nature and benefits of which peculiar construction will be clearlyunderstood from 'the vfollowinxg description.

A represents the main body of the cannon, constructed. with an enlarged.open chamber for the reception of a cliambered breech-piece, B, whichmay be of the form representedin the drawings, and may be secured'Within the gun by a screw-thread, 1),' secured uponl its central part,fitting a corresponding thread in the gun.

T T represent the trunnions, formed upon a band, U, adapted to .encirclethe' gun,and

i l formed at back with an inwardly-projecting flange, u, which litsagainst a shoulder, c, on the gun, so as to prevent the displacement ofthe trunnion -band -in a forward direction.. 011e, two, or morere-enlibrce bauds, R R', of Wroughtiron, are shrunk onto the breech incustomary manner to strengthen the gun, a-nd serve also to secure `thetrunnion-band in place. The edges ofthe sald trunnion and re-enforcebands are tongued and grooved, as shown at fr, to aiord mutual strengthand support to each other. v

p represents a screw-plug occupying an aperture in the upper side ci'thebreeeh, and affording communication with an annular chamber, C,around the smaller front part, B', of the breech-piece IB.

U C represent channels communicating between the chamber, C and the boreofthe gun.

'ol'- a'shot after it is in motion.

In constructing a gun 'according'to my invention the 'main part is firstformed solid, of either east or wrought ircn,with the enlarged chamberat back, andthe latter threaded to receive and hold the breech-piece;The said.

breechpice, also cast solid, and formed on its exterior as shown, isthen screwed in and the various bands applied in customary-manner, vthe'trunnion-bandibeing driven on and the 'ree'nforce..bands heated andshrunk on.

The pieceis then bored from the muzzle i through the main body of thegun and into the breech-piece, thechannels c c, already formed upon theforward end of the breechpieeeaf'ordi ng communication between the boreand chamber C.

'plugged opening may be made to communicate with the uuder'sideof thechamber C, so that the latter may be thoroughly cleansed by runningthrough it any suitablewash. The

Aplug p may be formed with a sightingapcr ture, as indicated at p.

Operation: The explosion of the powslel` E overcomes the rst inertia ofthe projectile and sets it in motion at about the usual velocity. Assoon as the projectile passes the channels or corrugations c, (which maycommunicate with the bore near its longitudinal center,) the. burninggases communicating through the said channels with the charge in thechamber'G ignite and explode the said powder, and the pressure from thisexplosion, acting upon the projectile while it is already in motion,imparts a very high velocity thereto.

I do not claim, broadly, the use of a secondv chamber in a dre-arm toincrease the velocity In my inven tion the breech-piece of the peculiarconstruir tion shown aiords a convenient and effective means of formingthe accelerating-chamber and adapting the charge therein to be explodedunfalingly after the shot has passed the trunnion's. The strain upon thearm is thus ma` terielly lessened and distributed equally over theentirere-cnforced part .of the breech. v

A further advantage of the entire invention is that it produces a gun ofgreat strength in proportion to its capacity. Having thus described myinvention, the following is what I claim as new therein and de- Sire toseeure by Letters Patent:

Thebreceh-pieee B,construeted and applied, as specified, to form anaccelerating-chmuber MARAIS) around the 11min bore, und greeted orverrugated at .its lbrwnrd end to )nro-fide mmmn'oeation between thebore and. the snrrmnnlng ehzunber.

The @lieve specification of my impl-moment in ordnance signed this 27thday of Moy, wei.

` O. XV. C'lAFliUlD. "Vitnesses: l

Oc'rAvl Us. KNGHT, CHARLES D.` SMITH.

